DOJ Halts Obamas Operation Chokepoint Which Targeted Firearm Dealers

Just released:

The Department of Justice has ended its Obama-era Operation Chokepoint initiative, which aimed to block some businesses, including firearm dealers and payday lenders, from having access to bank loans.

The department made the revelation in response to an inquiry from House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte Thursday.

In a
letter
to Goodlatte and ranking committee member John Conyers, Assistant Attorney General Stephen F. Boyd wrote that DOJ considers Operation Chokepoint a “misguided initiative conducted during the previous administration.”

“We share your view that law abiding businesses should not be targeted simply for operating in an industry that a particular administration might disfavor,” Boyd wrote. “Enforcement decisions should always be made be based on facts and the applicable law.”

“The FDIC subsequently rescinded its list of purportedly ‘high risk’ merchants. The Department of Justice (Department) strongly agrees with that withdrawal,” Boyd wrote. “All of the Department’s bank investigations conducted as part of Operation Chokepoint are now over. The initiative is no longer in effect, and it will not be undertaken again.”